BA/MA Journalism Student Output

30,000 sell-out for comic convention

Tens of thousands flocked to Glasgow’s SECC to attend Scotland’s biggest comic convention. The MCM event attracted more than 30,000 people at the weekend after being expanded from a single Saturday event in previous years.

This year saw a huge turnout, with Saturday and weekend tickets being sold out completely in the final week.

The sell-out event saw many people turn up in the costume of their favourite characters from a variety of franchises (from Star Wars to Marvel) and year by year, it has become one of the biggest pop culture events in the UK.

The convention features a variety of stalls selling merchandise, comics and DVDs, as well as independent artists looking to sell their work.

Steven Jeffers, 26, from Helensburgh said he comes to Glasgow every year for the event, adding: “You don’t get quite as much of an atmosphere anywhere else because you’ve got everyone in all sorts of different fandoms, all sorts of different things. It’s basically like the internet personified, without all the hate. It’s like the good part of the internet.”

Event photographer Henry Woo from Glasgow also said the whole unique experience of the convention was what made it so special. He said: “I come here every year. It’s one of my favourites. Conventions, people, dealers’ room, panels, I just like to see everything. I love coming to the convention because it’s my home and I want to represent it in my hometown.”